


Only a Lab Coat

by DragonSilk



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, One Shot, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-23
Updated: 2013-10-23
Packaged: 2017-12-30 05:40:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1014802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonSilk/pseuds/DragonSilk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He was ready to ask you out. He'd worked up his courage, and now he was going to go to your lab and ask you if you wanted to get lunch with him.</p>
<p>Then he saw a man yelling at you. You looked so upset that he just wanted to--No! He couldn't let himself turn into the Hulk. He couldn't scare you like that before he even managed to ask you on a first date</p>
            </blockquote>





	Only a Lab Coat

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for someone. I did it in one sitting, but I still rather like it all things considered.
> 
> Enjoy~

One moment you were standing outside your lab with your boss yelling at you, and then you were staring at a large green wall.

No, that wasn't a wall at all. It was the Hulk. Also known as Dr. Banner from the lab next door.

From behind you, you could hear the screams of your coworkers. They were probably opening the windows and running down the fire escape. At least, that was what they should be doing.

Before you began work at the lab, they actually made you go through a bunch of safety procedures. They were all the same standard things, until you got to the end. Then they had an entire set of documents telling you what to do if the Hulk decided to destroy the lab.

The Hulk turned, his large green eyes focused on you, and you took a step back. You should definitely be running away now. Why weren't your legs moving?

He reached out and grabbed you, his hand wrapping around your waist like you were some sort of doll. It was too late. You closed your eyes, bracing yourself for the pain as he lifted you off the ground. You were being lifted slowly, delicately almost, but you expected him to throw you any moment now.

Then you were placed, stomach down, on a flat surface. Something heavy settled over your back, and you finally opened your eyes.

You were on the Hulk's shoulders, and he was running. You closed your eyes again as you heard the crash of glass. If he just jumped out a window like that sudden gust of air suggested, you didn't want to see it.

It felt like he was jumping and swinging around, and you were torn between covering your face and holding on for dear life. Holding on won and your hands tried to find something to grab. Searching without your sight was futile so you opened your eyes to look and realized that you were very high up.

No, that was an understatement. You were in danger of plummeting to your death.

Your mind went completely blank, but somehow, you managed to wrap your arms around the Hulk's neck. How you pulled it off, you would never know, but it felt more secure than just dangling off of his shoulder. You buried your face in his hair and hoped he wasn't carrying you to the top of the building just to throw you to the ground.

What did the training documents say about the Hulk? You tried to recall if they had any useful information about getting Dr. Banner to revert back to his human form. As far as you remembered, they simply told you to run away without drawing attention to yourself. Under no circumstances were you supposed to go near the Hulk or try to talk to him.

You were screwed.

The Hulk pulled himself onto the roof before pulling you off his neck. You tried to cling to him, but he probably didn't notice. He placed you on the ground.

Your legs immediately gave out on you, and you found yourself sitting on the rooftop.

Then the Hulk sat down, right in front of you. He sat with his knees up to his chest and just stared down at you. The two of you stared in silence, and you were reminded of a wild animal. You wondered if that was the trick to dealing with the Hulk: slow, non-threatening movements and soothing words.

Dr. Banner would probably hate being compared to an animal. He was a brilliant scientist and a very attractive man. The complete opposite of an animal.

This wasn't Dr. Banner; this was the Hulk.

You were about to attempt to talk to the Hulk when he started to shrink. He became smaller and smaller, and soon, you found yourself looking at Dr. Banner.

A completely _nude_ Dr. Banner. You told yourself that you shouldn't stare, but you couldn't stop your eyes from roving across his body.

“I'm sorry about that.” He stood and turned away from you. “If you want to run away right now, I won't hold it against you.”

Run away? From that delicious body? Why would you do that?

You should probably offer him something to wear. Even if you did want to look at his butt a little longer. “Do you want my lab coat?” You stood so you could pull it off. “It's probably a little small for you but it could–”

He turned, eyes wide. “You're offering me your coat?” He looked down at his feet for a moment before looking back up at you. “I... I just carried you up the side of the building, and you aren't running away?”

You shrugged and held out your lab coat. “The Hulk did. Not you, Dr. Banner.” Honestly you were more than a little relieved that he wasn't the Hulk anymore.

He took the coat and pulled it on. It was tight over his arms, and he could barely hold it closed, but it fit.

He seemed pensive, so you took the moment to introduce yourself.

He cut you off mid-introduction. “I remember. We talked last week during lunch.”

You were shocked. You never expected him to remember that! Every Friday you always saw Dr. Banner at the same restaurant during lunch. You'd started regularly going to that restaurant just so you could see him. When he started up a conversation by asking if you worked in the same building that he worked in, you were ecstatic.

“Why was that man yelling at you--if you don't mind me asking?”

Oh. Your cheeks flushed. You hadn't realized that Dr. Banner saw that before the Hulk came smashing in. “He was yelling at me because someone left out the bacteria plates. It wasn't me!” you added quickly. You didn't want Dr. Banner to think that you were irresponsible. “I don't know who it was, but I'm not in charge of the plates at all.”

“I'm almost glad I hit him then.” Dr. Banner smiled at you, and you couldn't help but grin back. It was wrong. You shouldn't be happy that he hit your boss, but your boss loved to blame you for the failings of your _superior_ male coworkers. He almost deserved to be hit by the Hulk.

“What were you doing outside my lab?” you asked before you could think about your words. You immediately felt dumb. Did he need a reason to be anywhere as the Hulk?

“I, um...” He looked down at his feet. You were ready to apologize for your question, but curiosity kept you silent as he spoke. “I was going to ask you if you wanted to go out for lunch with me. Since it's Friday, and I noticed we eat at the same restaurant, I thought we might carpool. Then I saw that man yelling at you, and you looked so upset that I just couldn't...” His rambling stopped for a moment. “I'm sure you don't want to get lunch with me now.”

You just stared at him in silence. He knew that you both got lunch at the same place. He'd noticed you! And he wanted to go to lunch with you! You couldn't believe it. Bruce Banner, brilliant scientist, wanted to have lunch with you!

“I'll just... go now.” He turned and began to walk away from you. Immediately, you realized that he was assuming your silence meant that you were rejecting him.

You chased after him. “Wait!” You grabbed his arm. “Getting lunch with you would make me really happy, Dr. Banner.”

“Really?”

You nodded, and he smiled at you.

“Great!” He reached out for your hand, letting go of the lab coat in the process, and revealing his naked body to you once again. Instead of holding your hand, he quickly pulled the coat closed again. “I suppose I... ah... should go get some clothes first.”

“I wouldn't mind if you didn't.” You bit your lip, hoping that you weren't being too forward.

He stared at you for a moment, and you began to worry that he really wasn't interested in you romantically at all and that this lunch thing wasn't actually a date. Then he laughed. “I think everyone at the restaurant would prefer it if I put on some clothes. Don't worry. I have a few spares in my office. Would you like to help me decide what to put on?”

You nodded and took his arm.

Later, when he gave you back your lab coat, it smelled like him. You stopped wearing that coat to work and kept it as a memory of how Bruce first asked you out. When he started keeping clothes at your place, you kept that lab coat in the drawer with his pants and shirts so it would always smell like him.

* * *


End file.
